Maori people, who slotxoare the indigenous people of New Zealand. They may be the first humans to discover Antarctica. The southernmost and coldest land in the world. before European explorers could trace it 1,300 years later.

New Zealand's research team in history, biology and conservation, led by Dr Priscilla Wehi of the University of Waikato, presented a recent study in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand (JRSNZ). Maori may have sailed the waters of the Southern Ocean. and was the first to see the coastline of Antarctica. Since the 7th century

Evidence pointing to such a possibility It comes from the collection of oral history information that has been passed down from generation to generation. including gray literature, which the academic community has not given importance to in the past. Equals the official record of European exploration of Antarctica over the past 200 years.

The legend of some Maori ancestors describes Hui Te Rangiora, a Polynesian hero and leader in sea exploration. They traveled farther south than the Maori lands until they encountered the "sea of powder" (Te tai-uka-a-pia), a term they used to describe snowy waters and sheets. white ice It looks like the flesh of an arrowroot that can be scraped off and eaten.

Previously, the historical record of the Westerners indicated that Antarctica was first discovered in 1820, which is controversial. Was it the Russian or British expedition member who first saw the land of Antarctica?

In addition to the mythological evidence The research team also found a report. published in the Journal of the Polynesian Society in 1899, the details of this report indicate that Maori cruisers of the past have long described the creatures and geography of Antarctica.